American Accent Training by Ann Cook - Any successful story?

I have ordered one set for few years but never work hard on it. If there's anyone has changed your accent after using Ann Cook's material? How long does it take?

More to the point: why?

Do go faking an American accent, please.

Are you working for Ann Cook's ?

Of course NOT! I'm from Hong Kong. I ordered her material from amazon. I just want to know if anyone has used her material and finally change his/her accent? I have found some messages here recommending her kit.

There's very limited sources on learning an accent in Hong Kong. My husband found a priviate tutor to help him in 'improving' his accent, he spent over US$500 for few lessons but it did not work.

I'm not trying to fake an accent. If you know about Cantonese, you will understand we don't have intonation / speech in our language. For example, carpark, people here will pronounce "ca-pa".

Last week, I have lunch in a Chinese restaurant, I saw a Chinese man keep talking to his friend (don't know his nationality, should be American), I heard he was speaking Cantonese. I wondered, WOW! that American understands Cantonese, his friend was talking very fast. But, when I listened carefully, I realised he was not speaking English, he was speaking English.

Didn't you mean :
"when I listened carefully, I realised he was not speaking Cantonese, he was speaking English.

Jim, you said to Karen :

"Do go faking an American accent, please. "
I think improving your accent in a foreign language is one thing and faking the accent another.
Karen is right. In the area I live, there is a Chinese community and they are not able to articulate in another languages. They have no intonation and have difficulties to make themselves understood in French or English.
Taking accent lessons in order to improve your accent and to speak with an "acceptable and pleasant" accent is not faking.

Karen
I personally never paid a penny for those materials.

Taking accent lessons with a native English speaking is not a bad idea. One should be careful as there are a lot of rip-offs. I had an accent class in Canada a couple of years ago and I learnt quite a lot. We were only five or six in the class and the teacher made us repeat some words five, ten or twenty times until we pronounced better.
Karen, I recommend you to listen to CNN, MSNBC, and other American radios on the net daily . You should show great perseverance and steadfastness. After a while, your perseverance will be finally rewarded and you will see the difference. You'll be proud of yourself. so go ahead and good luck.
By the way, the BBC is very good too. On the BBC world, not only have you British accents but also American one's.

CNN International as British and American accents too.

In Africa they all speak accents nearer to Britain, in Asia they speak in accents nearer to Asians.

sorry, I meant to write "in Asia they speak in accents nearer to Americans."

I wonder why that is?

because African countries that speak English used to be British colonies. Asians countries like Pakistan and India speak in British accents because they used to be colonies. Hong Kong, Singapore, speak in American accents but I don't know why? They used to be British colonies. Maybe they just love America and what to be just like them.

Typo: I wrote "Do go faking an American accent, please." I meant "Don't go faking an American accent, please."

Chantal,

I'd agree that improving your pronunciation in a foreign language is one thing and faking the accent another.

Take pronunciation lessons. Learn to speak clearly but don't bother getting yourself too concerned about a particular accent. You can speak clearly in any accent. Love your accent: it's yours. Keep it.

Hi all,

Thank you for your advice. I really love this forum as people are very helpful! I did post something similar on a site in Hong Kong, but thier thinking is different. They believe, faking an accent is like making a big mistake in your life. As long as people can understand, they don't care about the accent. If you have a chance to listen to some speeches given by Hong Kong Chief Financial Offier, you will know what I mean. I certainly think that he should find a professional tutor to improve his English pronunication.

I totally agreed with Chantal that if we would like to learn a 2nd language, we should improve the pronunication.

Hong Kong is 'still' using British system, don't really understand why. However, China is using American English. I'm not quite sure for SIngapore, as they have their own pronunication method, which we called "Singlish".

It's a pity that we don't have class on improving pronunication in Hong Kong. It's going to be a big business if someone is going to run such classes here, I'm sure many people are willing to pay for the course.

Karen
We (almost) don't have classes on improving pronunciation accent in France neither. I don't care about the business aspect of this as English schools are making money anywhere.

sh1tstreek
Speaking about North America, we always forget Canada. Not only Asian students go to the US but also to canada. There is an important community of Asian people in Vancouver, Toronto, even in Edmonton. Apart from Americans and canadians, most people don't distinguish American accent from Canadian one's. That is to say maybe some Asian speak with a Canadian accent not American.
Sorry, my writing is shabby. I hope I am not misunderstood.

You might find the following old thread interesting.

Do I Have An Accent?
http://www.antimoon.com/forum/2003/2114.htm

I love the statements made by Dietmar and sh1tstreek:

"in Asia they speak in accents nearer to Americans."
"Asians countries like Pakistan and India speak in British accents ..."

Have the two of you been to Asia? I hate to burst your bubbles but in India, they speak in what would best be described as an Indian accent. Japanese speak with a Japanese accent. The Chinese have Chinese accents.

This is the way it is and the way I hope it remains. Be yourself. Be proud of you accent. Sure, try improve you pronunciation but keep your accent. We don't all have to be Americans.

"We don't all have to be Americans."
True Jim. I agree. Keep your accent but improve it by learning phonetic signs and how to pronounce them. Most Korean pronounce video like /bideo/. That's be an advantage for them to pronounce with a 'v'. No matter if don't lay the stress on /'vId/.

Sorry, for my shabby writing.
That would be an advantage for them to pronounce it with a 'v'. No matter if they don't lay the stress on /'vId/.